Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Bacteria and antibiotic resistance in female dogs with pyometra
By Rocha, Marcos F G et al.·Published in Reproduction in domestic animals = Zuchthygiene·2022·Department of Pathology and Legal Medicine, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Antimicrobial susceptibility and production of virulence factors by bacteria recovered from bitches with pyometra.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 30 female dogs diagnosed with pyometra, a serious uterine infection, had samples taken from their uterus and vagina to identify the bacteria causing the infection. The most common bacteria found was Escherichia coli, and nearly half of the bacteria tested were resistant to at least one antibiotic. Interestingly, the study found that the bacteria produced low levels of harmful factors, suggesting that the dog's own health might play a bigger role in developing pyometra than the bacteria itself. Treatment typically involves surgery to remove the infected uterus and antibiotics to manage the infection.
People also search for: dog pyometra symptoms · female dog uterine infection treatment · antibiotic resistance in dogs
Abstract
Pyometra is one of the most common diseases in adult female dogs, characterized by a suppurative bacterial infection of the uterus with accumulation of inflammatory exudate and a variety of local and systemic clinical manifestations. This study aimed to identify the bacteria within the uterine content and vaginal canal of bitches with pyometra and evaluate their antimicrobial susceptibility and production of virulence factors. Uterine and vaginal content were collected with sterile swabs from 30 bitches diagnosed with pyometra. Bacteria were identified and assessed for their antimicrobial susceptibility and production of virulence factors, including biofilms, siderophores, proteases and hemolysins, both in planktonic and biofilm forms. A total of 82 bacterial isolates (35 uterus, 47 vagina), belonging to 21 species, were identified, with Escherichia coli as the most prevalent species (32/82, 39%). As for susceptibility, 39/79 (49.4%) isolates were resistant to one or more drugs, with resistance proportion among Gram-positive bacteria (87.5%) higher (p < .05) than that observed for Gram-negative bacteria (32.7%). Four coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species were resistant to methicillin. Regarding virulence, the isolates had low production of biofilms, siderophores, proteases and hemolysins, suggesting that the occurrence of pyometra might be more associated with host-related factors than bacterial virulence.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35696284/